~ There's no metaphysics on Earth like dessert.

Punchim at Mimi’s Hummus

Mimi’s Hummus in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn has some of the creamiest, earthiest hummus in New York City. This is not a debatable fact. If you’ve been enjoying the goods at places like Hummus Kitchen and Hummus Place, well, you’ve been doing fine because those joints put on a fine hummus show. But Mimi’s is where it’s at. And it’s not just the hummus that is delicious. Mimi’s knows how to work a vegetable like few other reasonably priced restaurants. Eggplant “caviar” under a pool of honey (an improbable but spectacular combination), a cauliflower salad dressed liberally with tahini and parsley… I could go on, but let’s cut to the important stuff.

Like dessert.

If the homemade pita hasn’t expanded in your stomach to the point of no return and you’ve still got a smidgen of room left for something sweet, Mimi’s does have a few Israeli options for you. On a tip from our friendly waitress, I ordered the punchim ($5): Three rich dark chocolate balls rolled in shredded, sweetened coconut.

The dense, fudgy insides of punchim.

The punchim are deceptively innocuous. On the plate, you would probably think that you could easily put all three of these itty two-biters away, no problem. But once you get down to it, you quickly realize that these are some dense little suckers. They’ll stick to the top of your mouth like an undercooked brownie, but then you have to chew, thanks to coconut. They reminded me of a more focused, deeply chocolate version of a Momofuku cake truffle, but with (believe it or not) more heft.

I’m not sure what “punchim” means in Hebrew, but these guys are definitely knock-outs.